Newsworthy

Novelis to Boost Aluminium Production in Europe
Novelis has announced plans to expand its production capacity for automotive sheet. The U.S.-based company, headquartered in Atlanta, says the expansion plan is designed to meet the growing demand for light, recyclable aluminium sheet for automobiles.

In a news release, Novelis Europe notes that it has qualified its rolling and finishing facility in Gottingen, Germany, to produce automotive sheet. Novelis currently produces automotive sheet in Europe at its Nachterstedt, Germany, and Sierre, Switzerland, facilities.

Initially, 20,000 short tons of aluminium will be manufactured annually at its Gottingen facility. The company notes that a planned second phase will expand capacity to 40,000 short tons per year at the plant. Novelis’ Gottingen production site has specialized in the surface treatment of aluminium for various surface-critical applications.

Continuum Marks One-Year Anniversary at Recycling Plant
Continuum Recycling, a recycled-PET joint venture between Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) and ECO Plastics, celebrated its one-year anniversary of operations by reaching 500 million bottles processed since opening the facility, located in Hemswell, Lincolnshire, U.K., in May 2012.

To mark the anniversary, the two companies welcomed Lord de Mauley, Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), for a facility tour. The plant is located at ECO Plastics’ existing facility in Hemswell. ECO Plastics says Continuum Recycling’s operations have more than doubled the amount of bottle-grade recycled plastic PET previously created in Britain.

“Continuum has shown the real benefits of recycling. It has helped to cut down on waste and brought millions of plastic bottles back into use which would have otherwise been sent to landfill. The plant has further helped Lincolnshire’s rural economy to thrive by creating more jobs—this is exactly what we want to see,” observed Lord de Mauley.

“We are immensely proud of the long-term partnership forged with ECO Plastics,” says CCE’s Nick Brown. “Sorting more than half-a-billion bottles after only one year in operation is an extraordinary achievement.”

Jonathan Short, ECO Plastics managing director, says, “Delivering a world-first is always a challenge, so to have hit the 500 million mark within a year of opening is a real achievement.”

> METALS

ALBA Group-Miracle Group Partnership Expands to Include Nonferrous Scrap
The German recycling company ALBA Group, based in Cologne, has agreed to expand its recycling partnership with China’s Jiangsu Miracle Logistics System Engineering Co. Ltd. The expansion was commemorated with a signing ceremony with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Li Keqiang, the new Prime Minister of China.

Alba notes that the two companies have cooperated in scrap car recycling in Tongling (Anhui province) since August 2012. In the expansion of its partnership arrangement, ALBA says its recycling operations with Miracle Logistics will now include nonferrous scrap recycling.

“We are very pleased that we are able to further expand our cooperation with Miracle,” says Axel Schweitzer, CEO of ALBA Group. “Our long-term goal is to work together with the Miracle Group to establish a model for replication in other provinces across China. In this way, we can actively help China in developing and rolling out a modern recycling economy. Our vision for the next five years is for ALBA Group to assume a significant role in the Chinese recycling industry.”

ALBA Group has had a presence in Hong Kong for approximately 20 years and says it is the largest exporter of recyclables from Europe to Asia.

Its workforce in Hong Kong and Peking adapt technologies and approaches developed in Germany, provide consulting services and market raw materials (plastics, paper and metals, such as copper and aluminium) recycled by ALBA Group in Europe.

Ontario Proposes New Waste-Reduction Strategy
Ontario is proposing legislation that, if passed, would require producers to take responsibility for recycling the products they sell.

The proposed Waste Reduction Act would encourage producers to turn more waste into new products and, in doing so, generate new investment and create jobs. Ontario’s proposed Waste Reduction Strategy, also released for public and stakeholder feedback, sets out a blueprint and timeline for how and when the proposed act would be implemented.

The proposed Waste Reduction Act and Strategy would boost recycling in the industrial, commercial and institutional sector, starting with paper and packaging waste. It would also protect consumers from eco-fees by making sure that recycling costs are included in the advertised price of a product. This move is expected to motivate companies to look for ways to make their recycling processes more economical.

Other provisions are designed to bring improved oversight of waste diversion by clearly defining the responsibilities of producers, the provincial government, municipalities and a new Waste Reduction Authority.

The act would allow for greater producer funding of the Blue Box program, easing the financial burden on municipal property taxpayers, as well as innovation in product and packaging design, according to Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment.

> AUTO SHREDDING

Triple M to Build New Shredder
The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. (NOHFC), Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, has announced plans to provide $1 million to metals recycling company Triple M Metals to assist in its expansion project.

David Orazietti, a member of the Canadian Provincial Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie, says the money, which will include a loan of $500,000 and a $500,000 grant, will be used to purchase new equipment, including an auto shredder, for a Triple M Metals facility in Sault Ste. Marie.

“We are providing provincial funding to Triple M Metal through the NOHFC to support the expansion of a local business that is upgrading its equipment in order to increase competitiveness and create local jobs,” Orazietti says. Furthermore, says Orazietti, “boosting economic opportunities in northern Ontario is a top priority for our government, and we are ensuring the $100 million NOHFC fund is protected in the 2013 budget in order to help entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes.”

“Triple M Metal LP is very excited about the startup of our new, state-of-the-art automobile shredder at our Sault Ste. Marie facility,” says Joe Caruso, president of Brampton, Ontario-based Triple M Metal LP. “In addition to providing up to five new positions, the installation has provided work for various local contractors. The new shredder enables Triple M to locally process scrap material originating in the north and provide much needed raw material for the production of new steel.”

Spanish Municipalities Support Waste Act
The town of Fuenlabrada in Spain and the Association of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol have committed to recycle collections under the parameters set by the recently amended Spanish Waste Act, reports Spanish paper industry association ASPAPEL.

The act upholds the legality of recycling “made in Europe” and gives Spanish generators of recyclable materials power to decide the final destination of their waste.

The possibility of prioritizing recycling within the European Union was set down for the first time in Spanish legislation for town councils through the 2011 Waste Act and was amended in 2012 to extend the possibility of championing recycling “made in Europe to all producers or initial holders of recyclable waste.

The Fuenlabrada town council recently approved a proposal in which it commits to recycling “made in Europe” and pledges that all the paper and board collected in the town will be recycled in Spanish or European paper mills. Fuenlabrada, with a population of more than 200,000, is one of the largest towns in the Greater Madrid area.

Similarly, the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol has included a pioneer requirement in its new contract for paper and board collection services that the concessionaire delivers all fibre collected to an EU paper mill.

> ELECTRONICS

CSS Recycling Adds Head of Business Development
CSS (Computer Salvage Specialists) Recycling, based in Newbury (Berkshire) in the U.K., has appointed Roger Miller head of business development. The company says this new role reflects its commitment to growth by increasing its staff and adding new processing equipment.

Miller says, “I’m very proud to be joining CSS at such a key time of growth and development; I believe that the imminent arrival of the WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) recast creates both opportunities and challenges that I am looking forward to tackling with the CSS team.”

Andrew Braysher, managing director of CSS Recycling, comments, “Roger has specialized in the WEEE sector since the introduction of the EU directive in the U.K. and will bring experience and expertise to our team to further enhance the company’s position as a progressive and diverse WEEE solutions provider.”

CSS Recycling operates three U.K. locations and currently employs 65 staff members. The company recently invested in new advanced processing equipment which will further enable WEEE materials to be more effectively separated into their component streams, improving recycling rates and standards, the company says.

> PLASTICS

Axion Develops New Recycled Polymer
The U.K.-based company Axion Polymers has developed a variant of its high-grade recycled polymer, Axpoly r-PS01, that comes from plastics from refrigerators. It will be used to make toys and other applications.

Axion says the new recycled polymer has seen a significant increase in orders, adding that its 100%-recycled polymer is a testament to its ability to satisfy British Standard testing to BS EN 71-3, which covers the specification for migration of certain elements from within the plastics used to mold components of toys.

Axion notes that it recently supplied 120 tonnes to a producer of molding applications in Asia.

Axion Director Keith Freegard says, “Proving the EN 71 standard had been met was the key order-winning aspect for the ultimate customer of the molder, a large supermarket chain in central Europe. They had insisted that the molder used a plastic that was both recycled and able to meet the European toy standards. Axpoly r-PS01 was the only material available that hit the spot on both counts, so we won the order on that basis.

“As a result, we have high hopes that our recycled white polymer, which can be colored to any desired shade, will gain wider acceptance and welcome enquiries from other product manufacturers in the toy or promotional gift market,” he adds.

Steve Bell, Axion commercial operation manager, says the company is working to satisfy the revised specifications for the toy safety standard, which are due to be announced in July.

The acquisition marks Greenredeem’s efforts to motivate people to recycle outside their place of work. Noting the success achieved by Recycle Rewards in raising recycling rates across U.K. boroughs, Greenredeem says it is excited by the opportunity to bring together the two businesses.

Launched in 2011, Greenredeem is a recycling initiative that combines interactive reverse-vending-kiosk technology with a Web-based membership and reward scheme. The company says its program targets the U.K.’s “on-the-go” recycling sector by targeting cans and bottles currently sent to landfill from public litter bins.

Though they will operate on a business-as-usual basis for the next few months, the companies are reportedly working to launch a new U.K. brand.

“We see huge potential for bringing together Recycle Rewards and Greenredeem onto the same platform,” says Matthew Ball, Greenredeem’s business development manager. “We’ve always been keen to innovate through constant appraisal of market trends and investment in R&D. Adding the knowledge and experience of how to motivate people to recycle more at home will create a fantastic green future.”

Rob Crumbie, director of marketing at Recycle Rewards, says, “We’re looking forward to the exciting potential of bringing our two businesses together. Over the last couple of years, we have seen recycling rates in England start to slow. At the same time, we have demonstrated that Recycle Rewards can grow recycling rates faster than the national average.”

> ELECTRONICS

Phobio Germany Launches Cell Phone Trade-in Program
Phiobio Germany says it is promoting the responsible and sustainable reuse of mobile devices with a new incentive program. The cell phone collection program is providing consumer trade-in services at the point-of-sale (POS) for retailers, which is a model that has been active and successful in the U.S. for a few years, the company says. Phobio Germany says it has taken the best practices, software and procedures for incentivized device trade-in based on Phobio North America’s platform and customized them for German retailers.

Through the trade-in model, retailers offer their customers immediate in-store credits for trading in their old handsets (or “handies” as they are called in Germany) which are then refurbished or recycled, Phobio Germany says. For retailers, the service is said to increase store traffic and customer retention, creating a potential cross-selling opportunity.

“Phobio is the only POS tool which actually constitutes added value to the shop—a fact that is already being acknowledged by our customers in Germany, Australia, Italy and the United States,” says Marc Schmidt, team lead at Phobio Germany.

One of Phobio Germany’s most well-known retail partners in this endeavor is Brodos AG, a distributor and retailer of telecommunication products. Brodos AG has a franchising system of major retailers, including the company’s independent mobile chain, my-eXtra, and supplies mobile phones and enhancements to about 5,000 European dealers.

> KERBSIDE

Veolia Signs Deal with U.K. Council
The Essex County Council (ECC) in the U.K. has awarded Veolia Environmental Services plc an eight-year, integrated waste management contract that is expected to result in Veolia becoming the sole supplier managing the county’s RCHW network.

Starting November 2013, Veolia will manage 21 recycling centres for household waste from the county, adding 10 sites in the south of the county to the 11 it previously operated in the north, which the company says is designed to maximise the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the service.

Veolia also will operate five waste transfer stations currently in development in Harlow, Great Dunmow, Chelmsford, Braintree and Colchester.

Keith McGurk, Veolia regional director for the East, says, “We are very pleased to be able to develop the existing partnership between Veolia and ECC. The new contract should produce economies of scale and increase sustainability with the aim of helping the council to turn more waste into a resource.”

Councillor Roger Walters, ECC’s cabinet member for waste and recycling, observes, “Our new integrated waste services contract will ensure that we continue to deliver the best waste management services whilst providing value for Essex residents.

“We are determined to deliver sustainable waste management solutions while increasing recycling rates, and our new partnership with Veolia will help us to achieve this,” Walters adds.

The decision to offer a training package follows the company receiving a number of requests to deliver process, operator and technical management training for both new and existing MRFs.

Keith Freegard, Axion director, says recent growth in building new waste facilities has fuelled demand for training in the technical, practical and managerial aspects of operating large-scale and expensive materials sorting plants. Packages are tailored to suit the individual MRF process and feedstock mixture, whether it’s separating plastics or dealing with organic fractions.

“Very often a fresh group of people are recruited to run a newly built MRF, and this creates two big training needs: firstly, how all the equipment works and, secondly, getting all the employees to work as a team,” explains Freegard. “In line with high-quality technical training, we’ve developed methods of encouraging people to work in teams and groups by applying the knowledge they’ve learned to solve hypothetical problems.”

Axion was recently commissioned by M+W High Tech Projects U.K. to provide an extensive training package for more than 40 multiskilled operators, technicians and managers at Biffa’s 100-million-pounds-sterling MBT facility in West Sussex, U.K. Subjects ranged from health and safety, disaster planning and real-life scenarios to teambuilding activities, culminating in individual assignments and competence assessments.